Donaghy officiated a combined 151 games over this time period, including 20 playoff games. Stern reported that to his knowledge, this is an isolated case, and no other league officials were involved. Stern called it the worst situation that he has ever been in during his 30-year career in basketball.
What makes this story interesting is that there are so many facets to it. First and foremost, we must note that especially in basketball, a referee can decide a game. From getting star players in foul trouble, to assessing technical fouls, basketball refs have virtually omnipotent control over the game. There is no doubt that if Donaghy were getting paid to change or fix the outcomes of certain games, he would easily be able to.
Which games did he fix? That is a more difficult question. Many times it is hard to discern between what is a bad call, and what is an attempt to change the course of a game.
Let us look at the last game that Mr. Donaghy officiated in his career: game three of the playoff series between the San Antonio Spurs and the Phoenix Suns this past May. Although one can never be certain, there were several critical calls made by the officials that all went in favor of the Spurs.
One example of this occured early in the second quarter of the game, when Donaghy called a foul on the Suns, and awarded Manu Ginobli of the Spurs two free throws. Normally this would not be a cause for concern, but Donaghy, who was standing at half court when he made the call, reached a decision that differed from another official who was standing right next to the play. He also made the call well after the play was over. The replay revealed that Ginobili was not fouled on the play.
Several other accounts led one ESPN columnist to report that this game was, "the most atrociously officiated game of the playoffs so far." He recognized that most of the calls favored the Spurs.
What doesn't help this issue is that the Spurs went on to win the series, and eventually the NBA Championship. If Donaghy had helped fix the game, is the Spurs championship legitimate?
While it has not yet been proven that Donaghy actually did anything to sway the outcomes, league commissioner David Stern has not taken these allegations lightly. Over his tenure as league commissioner, many people have lauded Stern as being "the best commissioner in sports." Now it looks as if his legacy is on the line.
There were warning signs for Stern, however. Donaghy had a history of being hard to get along with. He and his former Philadelphia area neighbors were constantly at odds with each other. Also, this past season Donaghy handed out 171 technical fouls to players or coaches, which was over 20 more than the next official.
Gambling has been around for as long as sports have been around. In NBA basketball games, people can bet on almost anything -- which team will win, by how much and other proposition bets. For instance, gamblers can take a position on the sum of the total score (the over/under), the score-by-quarter, or how many points a certain player will have. Donaghy, once in debt from gambling, could have then tried to repay his debts by "fixing" the game and having other people get in on it. According to the reports, the heavy bets would come in on certain games Donaghy was refereeing, enough to move Las Vegas' betting line up or down a few points. This is probably what tipped off the FBI, and an investigation ensued.
Once he turns himself in, Donaghy will likely produce the names of others who were in on the operation with him to gain a lighter sentence. For the sake of the league, David Stern better hope that Donaghy was the only official involved.
Moving forward from this incident, it is clear that the NBA needs to regain the trust of its fans. It may take years before fans accept the outcomes of the games to be completely fair. From now on, every time a ref makes a bad call, there will be a slew of conspiracy theorists, who will be all too eager to point fingers at the refs. In the past, the NBA, behind the leadership of Stern, has heavily fined players and coaches who publicly question referees after a game.
Hopefully this incident can increase transparency in the league, and Stern will not protect his officials as much in the future. If Donaghy had been held accountable for his questionable calls in the past, the league might not be in the situation it is right now.
